crouching-tiger &laquo; WordPress.com Tag Feedhttps://en.wordpress.com/tag/crouching-tiger/
Feed of posts on WordPress.com tagged "crouching-tiger"Sun, 02 Aug 2015 18:40:41 +0000https://en.wordpress.com/tags/enhttps://worldcinemaspa.org/2015/08/02/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-tenets-of-timeless-quests/
Sun, 02 Aug 2015 13:28:15 +0000findsaihttps://worldcinemaspa.org/2015/08/02/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-tenets-of-timeless-quests/I would rather be a ghost drifting by your side as a condemned soul than enter heaven without you. Because of your love, I will never be a lonely spirit

Ang Lee’s martial-arts drama “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (henceforth CTHD) is a breath-taking fairy tale of life-altering quest, struggle between honor and lust for power, generation of warriors forging alliances and enmities in a timeless theme into the genre for the new millennium and been the worldwide cinematic phenomenon in 2000-01. This was made with a relatively modest budget of $15 million and it earned over $200 million worldwide outperforming all other Chinese language films and propelling the jaded critics at the Cannes film festival into a standing ovation.

This film achieved astonishing success all over the world. CTHD made a rare transition out of the art-houses and into the multiplexes, and in doing so it become the most commercially successful foreign language film in US history and the first Chinese-language film to find a mass American audience. Critically and popularly acclaimed went to get nominated for ten Academy awards and the first Asian film for best picture

Part of the films significance derives from the way it displays in chorus localizing and globalizing penchants of mass culture in our contemporary movement. The film’s potency in its visual and narrative content are very well embraced as doggedly Chinese local. This movie based on a famous wushu novel, penned during pre WWII by Wang Du Lu. The title comes from a Chinese precept about walloping strength from the world. The story centers on a 400-year-old sword called Green Destiny, set in the times of Jiang hu underworld of bandits and heroes during the Qing dynasty (1644 –1911)

In the early 19th century, martial-arts conjurer Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-fat) is an aging warrior, a Jedi-like breed, la samurai, plans to retire, preserves a magic sword, a legendary 400-year-old blade known as Green Destiny. In his personal dispute and melancholic transition, he entrusts his magic sword, the Green Destiny, to his confidant Shulien (Michelle Yeoh), a friend and warrior. Though ardent on avenging the death of his late master, who was killed by the witchlike Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-pei), Li now seems more inclined to peace and introspective life. Besides in his true subdual for his love towards a mutual and longtime friend in Shulien

Transporting the sword to Beijing at Sir Te’s estate, Shulien meets Jen (Zhang Ziyi), a petite, headstrong Governor’s daughter who is unhappy over being forced into an arranged marriage, which only increases the envy she feels over the freewheeling lifestyle of Shulien. One evening, a masked thief sneaks into Sir Te’s estate and steals the sword. Li Mu Bai and Shulien trace the theft to Governor’s compound and learn that Jade Fox has been posing as Jen’s governess for many years.

Mu Bai makes the acquaintance of Inspector Tsai (Wang Deming), a police investigator from the provinces, and his daughter May (Li Li), who have come to Beijing in pursuit of Fox. Fox challenges the pair and Sir Te’s servant Master Bo (Gao Xi’an) to a showdown that night. Following a prolonged battle, the group is on the verge of defeat when Mu Bai reaches the spot and outwits Fox. Before Mu Bai can kill Fox, the masked thief reappears and partners with Fox to fight. Fox resumes the fight and kills Tsai before fleeing with the thief (who is discovered to be Fox’s protegee, Jen). After seeing Jen fight Mu Bai, Fox realizes Jen had been secretly studying the Wudang manual and has surpassed her in belligerent skills.

That night, a desert bandit named Lo (Chang Chen) breaks into Jen’s bedroom and asks her to leave with him. The flashback reveals in one of the travels when Governor and his family to the western deserts, the bandits raid Jen’s caravan stealing her comb and other belonging. In an aberrant chase Jen follows Lo to get her comb back, subsequently the love bosom between the young Jen and Lo into a passionate love.

Lo comes back to Beijing to persuade his love and not before his word earlier to Jen about the legends of the man who jumped off a cliff to make his wishes come true and certain to be alive because of his heart being pure. Jen refuses and Lo however sways to join him on the day of her wedding. Closely, Shulien and Mu Bai convince Lo to wait for Jen at Mount Wudang, which allows Jen run away on the wedding night and in disguise of male clothing, she is confronted at an inn by a large group of combatants, armed with the Green Destiny and her own superior combat skills beat everyone. Followed Shulien comes to inform Jen of Lo waiting for her at Mount Wudang, the angry dispute engage as Shu notices Jen with Green Destiny.

The fight erupts between the two contentious women. The thrilling fight staged liked an elaborate ballet, the night scene is skillfully designed to only gradually reveal the women’s abilities and at first they traverse walls and roofs with a hop, skip and a jump, and then stagger off surfaces. Jen exercise the Green Destiny, destroys each weapon that Shulien brandishes. The show-off propel to the new high through the air like spring and flexible until Jen loses to a broken sword held at her neck and Shulien shows sympathy dropping the sword and thus Jen reflex her anger hurt Shulien’s arm.

Mu Bai arrives and tracks Jen into the forest, causing a fight as he salvages the possession of the Green Destiny from Jen and throws the sword over a waterfall. Jen dives in chase into adjoining river to retrieve the sword and is then rescued by Fox. Fox puts Jen into a dazed sleep and places her in a cavern. Mu Bai and Shulien discover her there. Fox swiftly returns and bouts the others with poisoned darts. Mu Bai blocks the needles with his sword and avenges his master’s death by severely wounding Fox, only to realize that one of the darts hit him in the neck. Fox dies, confessing that her goal had been to kill Jen because she was manic that Jen had hid the secrets of Wudang’s far superior fighting techniques from her and thus Jen exits to gather up an antidote for the poisoned dart

Mu Bai in his pain and virtually to death, confess his fondness and love for Shulien and breathes last in her arms. Jen returns before it’s too late to save Mu. The Green destiny is returned to Sir Te and Jen follows to Mount Wudang to meet Lo. They spend one last night together and the next morning, Lo sights Jen standing on a terrace overlooking the edge of the mountain. She asks him to make a wish and he conforms to be together again and Jen in lull leaps over the side of the mountain.

A life has no remote, gets up and changes itself, which is a very deep-thinking antidote and metaphysical beliefs of ancient Chinese views that Ang Lee is carefully able to inject throughout the film. There are elements into Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, like the martial-arts themselves derive from the philosophical tenets, most famously from the Shaolin Temple during the Qing Dynasty and their three principle philosophical schools that influence the martial arts- Confucianism, with an emphasis on clan and social order; the other one is Buddhism, with an emphasis on compassion and transcendence; and lastly, the Taoism, with an emphasis on the nature and pragmatism to the core.

Gathering the spiritual fable and legends into a wonderful story telling mean CTHD, presents the martial-art with a higher degree of reverence in its standout action sequences. These are eye-popping and marvelously choreographed by Yuen Wo-Ping, who worked for The Matrix. Lee draws upon the work of other filmmakers in laying the touches on CTHD. Homages to both John Ford and Akira Kurosawa are easily identifiable by anyone who has seen the work of either of them

Behold- CTHD is the most beautifully crafted film, an epic by itself, not only reflects a sign of remarkable skill on Ang Lee’s to insert such a thoughtful annotation on the situation of the modern woman. In an instance of Jade Fox as the strong professional women who is perceived as too aggressive, while her equally aggressive male colleagues are spared this reproach- Shulien as the woman who works twice as hard as her male colleagues to reach the same stature, sacrificing her personal happiness for professional success; and Jen as a beautiful, capable teenager trying to set her priorities of career or family. This is an eventual timbre for the contemporary realm, to explore those prejudices.

The movie is a clean escapist and the fun made deeper by Ang Lee’s attention to subtle play of laughter breeze in between romance and adventure. The inclusion of secondary characters, especially in the action sequences Lee makes a natural connect with his viewers considering the life told best as it is. Those conversant with Lee’s earlier movies will no doubt wish he had made something more specialized and less accessible.

Not to miss the cinematographer Peter Pau make CTHD a stunning visual experience, shot in many parts of China the scenery is breathtaking and from the faded shot of ancient Beijing to the fertile splendor of the neighborhood forest to the majesty of Wudun Mountain, the film never ceases to blaze our eyes and seize our responses. The soundtrack of Tan Dun’s gentle and haunting score provides the perfect musical backdrop for the story, and is certain to me is the best silk screen of movie marvel of this millennium

]]>https://thedustpanconspiracytheory.wordpress.com/2015/08/01/keep-us-on-the-road/
Sat, 01 Aug 2015 05:03:28 +0000Danihttps://thedustpanconspiracytheory.wordpress.com/2015/08/01/keep-us-on-the-road/For three months before my being hired I had been sitting around, languishing and staring at my newly acquired degree, confused as to what to do with myself. I always thought that when I graduated from college, I would be able to get any job I applied for and that my life would finally start falling into place. No more restaurant jobs. No more customer service. No more being yelled at by old women with mustaches… But that wasn’t the case.

Those three months after graduation were filled with hours of applications and pointless job interviews that lead to nothing. Before Crouching Tiger decided to give me a chance, I had wasted all of my time trying to find something more “adult,” only to be sent back out of the door, time and time again. Crouching Tiger, despite being a restaurant and, therefore, the exact thing I was trying to escape, ended up saving me. I couldn’t stand waiting for something to come along anymore. But before I went back to being a Working Class Citizen, I needed a break.

Ethan and I have birthdays that are not even a week apart. So sometimes we celebrate together. This year we were travelling across state to a small city called Chattanooga. Situated right on the Tennessee River and only a 5 hour drive from my beloved Memphis, Chattanooga was the perfect weekend trip destination. We spent four days haphazardly wandering the city, taking in the sights, making friends with strangers, and generally enjoying ourselves.

Our last night I spotted a bar on our way back to the hotel from dinner.

“Ethan. I’m not ready to go back yet. Can we stop there?”

The bar was called Nazareth, and had a bright red door. I needed to check it out. We went inside and grabbed a table and a few drinks and got lost in conversation. Ethan had some good stories to tell from his childhood, and he was getting deep into a memory from when he was 10 and was accused of setting his father’s car on fire when he saw my hands shoot into the air.

“DAVID! OH MY GOD DAVID!”

Ethan turned around in his seat and, to his horror, saw that the guy I was drunkenly waving at actually seemed to know who I was, too.

“Carrie!” David screamed. “No fucking way!”

Ethan buried his face in his hands and braced himself as introductions came babbling out and he learned David and I had gone to high school together.

“Dude, I can’t believe I’d run into you here!” I said, taking another sip of my drink. “I haven’t seen you in years!”

“I know! I stayed here after college and got a job as an engineer at the Volkswagen plant. It’s a pretty sweet gig.”

“Oh yeah?” David asked. “You should definitely check this place out when you graduate, then. I love working here.”

And that’s when I kind of fazed out. But I remember the conversation being somewhat inspirational. David and Ethan ended up talking for a long time about attaining goals in work and in life. And how even when everything seems like it is going to explode in your face, you have to keep moving forward and hoping for the best. I kept my mouth shut through most of it so I wouldn’t drunkenly slur out something inappropriate, but also because I was trying to listen and hold on to what they were preaching.

Later Ethan and I ended up going for a walk around the hotel we were staying at and discussing our trip thus far. It was agreed that it was, perhaps, one of the most enjoyable times we’d both ever had.

“I’m glad we did this,” I said, taking off my shoes so I could feel the grass between my toes.

“I am, too,” Ethan said, laughing at me as I tried to fit my flip flops into my bag. “We should do stuff like this more often.”

“Well, maybe this job will work out pretty well and we’ll be able to afford a little while off every so often.”

He nodded. “I bet it’ll be good for you. It’s in a good neighborhood, and it’s not fast food.”

“True. I’m just worried. Anastasia did say the manager is an asshole.”

“Look,” Ethan said, keeping pace with me as I meandered. “I’m sure this will be great. It’s definitely a step up from where you used to work. And I know it’s not what you were looking for, but it’s like David and I were saying. Just keep working towards your goal. This could be a step in the right direction.”

I smiled. “Ethan. You’re so inspiring.”

“Thanks,” he laughed. “Now, come on. I have seven mosquito bites on my left leg alone. Let’s go back to the hotel.”

“OK,” I said and sighed, taking a literal step forward, but metaphorically moving towards my end goals and a brighter future.

I ended up stepping in a hole and twisting my ankle. I’m not even joking.

Weekly News Roundup is a brief weekly overview of some interesting news items from the world of pop culture that never got a chance to get covered on F for Fanhood. Please let me know in the comment section if there were any interesting news items that should make this list.

Honestly the only thing I know her from is Lizbeth Salander’s girlfriend in David Fincher’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo adaptation. However, I will trust Marvel’s judgement. They perfectly nailed the cast in the first season. I have no reason to doubt them.

2. Kel Mitchel is returning to Nickelodeon in the show Game Shakers, which is scheduled to air in September. Mitchell, who will be reuniting with Kenan and Kel showrunner Dan Schneider, is set to play a rapper named Double G, a comedic take on Kanye West, Diddy, Eminem and 50 Cent.

It’s great to see Kel still stick around in the industry. Unfortunately it is a shame that he hasn’t had the same level of success as his former partner Kenan Thompson.

3. Brian Henson’s crime puppet movie titled Happytime Murders has been bought by STX Entertainment. Happytime Murders takes place in a world where humans and puppets coexist. When the puppet cast of ’80s children’s TV show The Happytime Gang begin turning up dead, disgraced LAPD detective, puppet turned private eye with a drinking problem, takes the case with his former human partner.

Henson has been trying to get this film made since 2008 with Lionsgate, so it’s nice to see someone else give him a shot. I’m a huge fan of his work in puppetry and practical film-making, so anytime it’s announced that Brian Henson is making a new movie, it’s a good time. This story is a slam dunk!

4. Keith Olbermann is leaving ESPN again, as he as agreed to not renew his contract with the network. He had previously agreed to rejoin ESPN in his own talk show format in August of 2013.

It’s a huge shame to see ESPN lose another great personality. Obviously there must be something going on that is causing major figures like Bill Simmons or Olbermann to suddenly drop off the network. We will never know the true specifics, but it’s something to speculate.

5. Netflix has announced release dates for four of their feature films. The first is the new Idris Elba drama, Beasts of No Nation, which will be released in October 16, 2015. The next will be the Adam Sandler western film The Ridiculous Six on December 11, 2015. In the first quarter of 2016, we will see the long awaited Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sequel, titled Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend. Lastly, we will be seeing Pee-wee Herman’s film return in Pee-wee’s Big Holiday in March of 2016.

The most exciting films of those will have to be Beasts of No Nation and Pee-wee’s Big Holiday. Adam Sandler’s movie career is pretty helpless right now, and the Crouching Tiger sequel is way too late. I’m always looking forward to a surprise or two!

Cooper is a great actor, who I would argue is a better fit than Cavill for a Simon West action movie. West’s filmography is a bit mixed, but he did make some really fun action flicks in Con Air and Expendables 2.

For more news, flip to page 2.

7. Roy C. Bennett, 1/2 of a song writing duo with Sid Tepper, has passed away. Bennet and Tepper (who passed away in April at 96) collaborated to write songs for legendary artists including Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Robert Goulet, Dean Martin, Lawrence Welk, and The Beatles. He was 97 years old.

The man is an icon who wrote songs for incredible artists. At 97, he lived a long and proud career. R.I.P.

8. Ben Affleck’s next directorial film from Warner Brothers will be Live by Night, an adaptation of the prohibition-era crime novel written by Dennis Lehane. Production will begin in November, with a release date of October 7, 2016.

I’m excited for this film. Affleck is a perfect three-for-three as a director.

9. JK Simmons will reunite with Whiplash director Damien Chazelle’s musical, La La Land from Summit Entertainment.Joining Simmons are actors Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. La La Land is set to be released in theaters on July 15, 2016.

The cast alone is enough to get me excited, now you add the director of one of the best films of 2014 to the mix. How could I not get excited for this?

10. Ben Affleck is set to co-write with Geoff Johns on a Batman solo film, which Affleck will direct. Affleck will start production on the project as soon as his Live by Night film has been completed.

Affleck directing is what everybody wanted. You cannot have Affleck star as Bruce Wayne and not expect him to at least have his hands on the script. He’s too big of a Batman film to not even consider it! This Batman solo film could end up being the best Batman film we’ve ever gotten on screen.

11. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has passed away at the age of 55. He had been battling growth on his bile duct the last few years. For the leyman (me), bile duct growth is a cancer that is very hard to treat, and effects the liver and the gall bladder. Iwata became President in 2002, and oversaw the launch of the consoles: GameCube, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and Wii U. He will be missed. R.I.P.

No text but this Mario picture will do…

What news are you most excited about? Comment your thoughts below!

]]>https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/07/14/movie-blog-this-weeks-best-bets-110/
Tue, 14 Jul 2015 20:40:30 +0000Jonathon Sharphttps://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/07/14/movie-blog-this-weeks-best-bets-110/If you’re looking to escape the heat and humidity this week, there’s probably no better way to do it than to watch Satyajit Ray’s gorgeously restored and undeniably epic Apu trilogy, which is playing over at the Lagoon Cinema. While it’s no doubt a commitment to see each film, the payoff is huge: It’s one of those works that’ll rekindle your belief in the power of cinema, or art in general.

Really, it’s that good.

Other than that, we’ve got some more great picks from the Walker’s Summer Nights/Cool Cinema program and a heartwarming documentary on Batkid, the little cancer survivor who got to be a super hero for a day and won over the world.

Arthouse meets wire-fu in this Ang Lee, Oscar-winning gem. Although I haven’t seen this film since it came out around the turn of the millennium, I think kung fu flicks are particularly fun to revisit in our super hero-saturated market.

This is Terrance Malick’s first feature, and it cemented his place as a cinematic visionary. Staring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, the movie follows two young lovers as they go on a killing spree through a stunning South Dakota landscape. Fans of the more recent Tree of Life should definitely catch this 1973 classic.

If you don’t remember this story from November of 2013, be prepared to be moved. Basically, the documentary follows the events of a day when 5-year-old Miles Scott, who battled cancer, got to save the citizens of San Francisco. When the little boy dressed up as the Dark Knight, many of the town’s residents lined the streets to watch as he put the joker in jail, drove the batmobile and did a couple of his own stunts. The story then went viral, and Scott, if only for a day, became the most beloved super hero in the world.

Those looking to catch the new take on Sherlock Holmes this weekend will want to do it at the Willow Creek theater. Director Bill Condon’s new film has Ian McKellen as an aging Holmes looking to resolve an unsolved case, all the while struggling with an unreliable memory. The film’s writer, Jeffrey Hatcher will be at the theater’s 7 p.m. screening Sunday to introduce the film and host a question-and-answer session after. For Holmesian bookworms, this should be a feast.

For early 2016, they have Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend lined up, which is directed by Yuen Woo-Ping and stars Michelle Yeoh, reprising her role as Yu Shu-Lien. Also, Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday will arrive in March of 2016.

Netflix’s recent purchase of Brad Pitt’s War Machine underscored just how intent the home streaming service is on becoming a big player in production and distribution. With the increasing reluctance on the part of studios to back projects that aren’t guaranteed box office mega-success (hello Jurassic World and the never ending reboots), Netflix could become a welcome alternative for filmmakers.

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Tue, 07 Jul 2015 18:50:51 +0000rolandattimeinchttps://time.com/3948376/netflix-original-movies/Netflix has finally announced the release dates for its initial wave of original films, and the first — “Beasts of No Nation” by acclaimed director Cary Fukunaga — will be available as soon as October this year.

The other films — Adam Sandler’s “The Ridiculous Six,” “Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday,” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend” — will be released in December, March, and sometime in the first quarter of 2016, respectively, the company said.

The films will all be made available on Netflix, but some will also be released in cinemas. “Beasts of No Nation” will be released concurrently on the streaming service and in select theaters, and the “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” sequel will be shown in Chinese theaters and in IMAX.

The original films represent a new frontier for the video streaming service, which enjoyed huge membership gains after the introduction of original TV series such as “Orange is the New Black,” and “House of Cards.” Creating original films takes that success one step further.

Netflix’s foray into original films also promises to shake up the film’s industry’s business model, in which movies (or at least the good ones) are only released to streaming services and DVD a few months after they are shown in theaters.

]]>https://fortune.com/2015/07/07/netflix-original-movies/
Tue, 07 Jul 2015 18:20:53 +0000clairegrodenhttps://fortune.com/2015/07/07/netflix-original-movies/Netflix [fortune-stock symbol=”NFLX”] has finally announced the release dates for its initial wave of original films, and the first — “Beasts of No Nation” by acclaimed director Cary Fukunaga — will be available as soon as October this year.

The other films — Adam Sandler’s “The Ridiculous Six,” “Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday,” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend” — will be released in December, March, and sometime in the first quarter of 2016, respectively, the company said.

The films will all be made available on Netflix, but some will also be released in cinemas. “Beasts of No Nation” will be released concurrently on the streaming service and in select theaters, and the “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” sequel will be shown in Chinese theaters and in IMAX.

The original films represent a new frontier for the video streaming service, which enjoyed huge membership gains after the introduction of original TV series such as “Orange is the New Black,” and “House of Cards.” Creating original films takes that success one step further.

Netflix’s foray into original films also promises to shake up the film’s industry’s business model, in which movies (or at least the good ones) are only released to streaming services and DVD a few months after they are shown in theaters.

Ethan had never seen it before, and I hadn’t seen it in a long time, but neither of us wanted to buy a copy, just in case it turned out to be a bad idea.

However, there was one more place in Memphis that rented videos: One Eyed Jack’s.

It was kind of a far drive, but well worth it. Nestled in among the B-movies and … well … porn, we found Robocop and stepped outside to go on our way.
But Ethan was hungry.

“Well, what do you want to eat?” I asked.

Ethan stared over my shoulder and across the street.

“There’s a Chinese place right there. Wanna try it?”

And that was the first time I’d ever seen it – Crouching Tiger. The place that was to become my saving grace, and my personal hell.

“Yeah, sure. Why not?”

As soon as we walked in the door, the weirdness began. There, at the host stand was a girl with 4 nose rings. Not 1, like you usually see. But 4. It was mesmerizing. And standing next to her was Anastasia, a long lost acquaintance of mine.

“OH MY GOD, HI!” she shrieked. “I haven’t seen you in years!”

I should have turned around and run right then, but I thought that maybe she’d changed since I last saw her, when she was creepy, unpleasant, and … well, she was still loud, that was clear.

We were seated outside, the last table, right next to the street. It was a nice night and a band across the street in the gazebo were playing a few classic blues riffs. I really couldn’t have asked for more. Ethan got his order in, between Anastasia screeching and making jokes at me that I hadn’t thought about since high school. But then she started complaining, and I really started listening.

“Yeah, we’ve been really short-staffed,” she sighed. “I’m not sure what’s going on. I mean, yeah sometimes it gets stressful, but that’s part of the business. Shit gets tough, am I right?”

“Truth,” I said. “Every restaurant I’ve ever worked at has hit rough patches. Most of the time you can just work through them and come out stronger on the other end – ”

“Unless we’re talking about your last job,” Ethan grumbled between bites of Kung Pao chicken. “You bailed on that really fast. But that was something that couldn’t be taken care of.”

“Oh, what happened?” Anastasia asked.

“Well,” I started. “Let’s just be simple and honest. My boss thought I was, quite literally, Satan, so I ran. Unfortunately I had nothing else lined up, but it was to the point that it didn’t matter.”

“That’s terrible. I’m sorry. You know if you’re looking for anything I could put in a good word for you. My manager is an asshole, but he trusts me. Come talk to him on tomorrow. Never know. Might be fun!”

And with that, it was put into motion. I came in the next day, had my interview on Tuesday, which was my birthday, coincidentally, and was hired two hours later, by phone. My three month unemployment streak was broken, and I was Crouching Tiger’s newest cashier. Unfortunately I had no idea that this job was going to be one of the most difficult experiences of my entire life.

And this is coming from the girl who was once described as being, “basically the devil.”

The Road Home is Yimou Zhang’s sweetest film. It introduced another person with the Zhang surname (as far as I’m aware, they are not related), the beautiful and talented Ziyi Zhang. Ziyi Zhang might be the most recognized Chinese actress in the world, with such roles as those in The Grandmaster, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, and Memoirs of a Geisha under her belt. But, her role in this movie will always be my favorite of hers. It is Ziyi Zhang at her youngest, playing a child caught up in childish things.

She is a teenage beauty named Zhao from a small Chinese village, who is instantly caught up in an unwavering love for the new village stranger, a young teacher from the big city who has come to start a new school there. We watch her love move from one requital to one of mutuality, and we watch as both characters make real sacrifices to tell what is one of the best love stories in the history of cinema. We actually watch all this unfold in the manner of one drawn out flashback. Not unlike The Wizard of Oz, the story begins in a black and white world, a darker world. That “real time” is actually shown in black and white is quite telling here. We see Zhao’s son, years later, as he goes to his mother to mourn the passing of his father, the same man we will later get to know as the teacher in the flashback. When the son begins to tell the story of his parents’ fairy tale, we are taken into a world of color. Like Oz, this is a world of magic. The magic in this world is “sympathetic”, a type of magic that I explained in my case study introduction to this section of reviews.

In most societies, the marriage is seen as a “disruptive ceremony” that places newness and variance in the established lifestyle of the person being married (or disturbed). Disruptive ceremonies are the key aspect of human development within an anthropological framework and are often accompanied with a ritual form of rite of passage. If that ritual is not present, then the rite of passage is, instead, implied. The film, The Road Home, does not deal with a marriage, but rather that which precludes a marriage (at least in Western societies): courtship. While no official ritual is present, the rite of passage is still implied, mostly as a liminal—or educative—stage that prepares the individual for further cultural, societal, and human advancement. The interesting facet of this film is that it is Chinese, and in said culture, adherence to Western marriage and courtship procedures is non-extant. Perhaps by showing this revolutionary-like courtship (it was the first time in the known history of the village that two people had picked whom they desired to marry), Yimou Zhang was able to portray a continuity of laws of magic—such unexplainable phenomena as love and obsession—which overwhelms even the most stringent cultural roles and relationships.

When Zhao begins her attempt to woo the school teacher, she is almost immediately forced into a difficult and dreadful situation. Just like the scene from Red Sorghum, also directed by Zhang, wherein the main character is “bounced” on the road to her new husband’s home—a direct symbol of this very nature of “disruptive ceremony”—Zhao is deeply shaken, this time internally. The schoolteacher is taken to Beijing for questioning; perhaps due to something he said that was construed negatively by the leaders of the Communist Revolution in that nation. The separation that ensues is physically, emotionally, and mentally draining on Zhao, and her ability to outlast it and keep firm faith prepared her later for her role as wife and mother. This was her liminal stage.

The love that motivated this behavior (and brought about this rite of passage) spawned from another strictly human phenomenon known as laws of contagion. Three objects are important in this case: the bowl which she used to give food to the schoolteacher during the construction of the school, the barrette that the schoolteacher gave her to remember him by, and the road by which the schoolteacher came into the village. There are other objects (such as dumplings, jackets, and the schoolhouse itself) but these are very important. These objects, insofar as the characters are concerned, carry an “essence” of the other party, and are therefore manifestations of that person in the life of the other: something by which to remember them, something to treasure above all other possessions, and something to hold on to as a symbol of the mutual bind. When the bowl was broken, it was a symbol to Zhao that the essence of the schoolteacher was really gone from her life. When the bowl was later repaired, however, it brought added symbolic hope. The same thing happened with the barrette. Once it was lost, and then it was found again. The road is the most important, and possibly overlooked, of these enchanted objects.

The way that Zhang decides to focus so much of his screen time on these images of real-world objects show how he understands the sentimentality that certain items can have. I think about my mom, who plants peonies and jankmanii clematis in her backyard because each one reminds her of her grandmothers. She collects rocks and seashells from everywhere she visits. She keeps leaves and flower petals between the pages of books with little notes about where they came from and who gave them to her. Zhang has the same reverence for objects, the same understanding that even though they have no real magic or feeling, they still carry with them the same essence of their source. Watch how one of the most important scenes, artistically, in the film shows an old man who delicately pieces together the fragments of a broken bowl, the very bowl that Zhao used to feed the man she loved. We have already seen how devastated she is when that bowl breaks. Now, we get to see the symbol of its rebirth. Then again, watch the scene, filmed so beautifully, of that moment when Zhao goes to the abandoned school building, cleaning it and decorating for no one’s eyes but her own.

Remember what I said at the end of my review of To Live? Living, really living, according to Zhang, is how we choose to leave our essence in things, places, and people that matter most. It’s the most spiritual of all forms of materialism. This is the “road home.” At the movie’s end, when young Zhao, now an old woman, goes back to that village to mourn her husband’s passing, she wails that he is gone forever, and that she will never see him again. This is not a reference so much to Chinese belief patterns or their cosmology of eternity. Rather, this is the most humanist part of the whole story. It is the most honest part, because it shows those feelings, whether fleeting or permanent, that we all get when faced with death. But, when her tears pass, the realization comes. He lives on. He is still with her, in that road, in that old schoolhouse. And in her son.